GlobeMed at Emory partners with the MAP Foundation in Chiang Mai, Thailand to support sanitary working and health conditions for Burmese migrant workers in Thailand.

GlobeMed at Emory University + MAP Foundation

Key FactApproximately 3 to 4 million Burmese migrant workers live in Thailand. Many workers are undocumented, making it difficult to access services in Thailand, including health care.

“University students are people who will make changes for a better global society including safe migration. MAP Foundation wants to provide opportunity for this active generation to learn the situation of migration and wants to raise understanding and awareness relevant to migration issues to them.”– Ms. Kanchana Di-ut, MAP Foundation Program Director

About the Partnership
MAP Foundation (Migrant Assistance Program) seeks to empower migrant communities from Burma who are living and working in Thailand. MAP was established in 1996 and has been working to improve migrant rights in the fields of health, labor, and women’s rights. MAP works towards a vision of the future where people from Burma have the right to stay securely within their home country and to migrate safely, and where the human rights and freedoms of all migrants are fully respected and observed.

Many migrants do not receive treatment at the government hospital due to language barriers, lack of documentation and transportation, fear of contacting government departments, lack of knowledge of health services, and many other reasons.

Furthermore, many migrants do not own a health insurance or social welfare card because they are undocumented. MAP Foundation’s Crisis Support Project supports hospital/clinic interpretation, transportation for traveling to the hospital/clinic, funeral matters, and transportation to the home town, if needed.

Project
GlobeMed at Emory hopes to raise $4,000 this year for MAP Foundation’s Crisis Support Project, which will provide Burmese migrants with interpretation services at local clinics and hospitals, information about government health policies, and support for a complete recovery and safe return home.

ImpactBurmese migrants in Thailand unfortunately do not live in a hospitable environment. They are at the mercy of Thai workers, living in constant fear of detention and deportation, with minimal financial security. Given the daily discrimination, high cost of healthcare, and language barriers, migrants do not receive accessible healthcare and are the victims of limited healthcare rights. However, migrants continue to flee the Burma regime in the hope of freedom and stability and the possibility of change in Thailand. GlobeMed provides a stepping stone for this change.

Get InvolvedRead GlobeMed at Emory University’s annual report and donate to their cause. Interested in joining the chapter? Contact [email protected].